Patricia Hewitt takes her years of experience to the telecoms firm

Telecoms giant BT is to pay the former eMinister, Patricia Hewett £60,000 as a non-executive director to adviser the company on its flagship contract to update the NHS computer systems.

Hewett, who the UK's first e-Minister in the late 1990s, will join BT in late March. As e-Minister she was charged with making the UK the world's leading internet economy. She was subsequently promoted to higher profile ministerial roles, including health secretary.

BT has several contracts with the Department of Health, delivering software and systems integration services as part of the overall NHS modernisation programme.

"Patricia brings deep experience of government affairs, politics and public policy, and has held UK cabinet posts for both health and trade & industry, " said Mike Rake, BT's chairman.

Prior to her Parliamentary career, Hewett worked was director of research at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).